University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

THE  PETER  AND  ROSELL  HARVEY 

MEMORIAL  FUND 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 


LETTERS  OF 
THE  RAMBLER 

A  Trip  Across  the  Continent 


By 
FRANCIS  B.  SANFORD 


GARDEN  CITY,  NEW  YORK 

COUNTRY  LIFE  PRESS 
1921 


O  Mr.  Samuel  Shipley  Blood  the  President, 
and  the  other  members  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  The  American  News  Company, 
Inc.,  this  Booklet  is  respectfully  dedicated 
in  recognition  of  the  opportunity  afforded 
me  to  visit  most  of  the  places  herein  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  the  legal  business 
of  the  Company. 

THE  AUTHOR 


INTRODUCTION 

IN  RESPONSE  to  requests  of  friends  and  to  furnish  a 
more  permanent  record  of  a  delightful  summer's  outing 
shared  by  all  the  members  of  my  family,  I  have  decided 
to  reprint  a  series  of  letters  written  during  my  travels  and 
which  originally  appeared  from  week  to  week  in  the  Warwick 
Valley  Dispatch  under  the  nom  de  plume,  Rambler. 

The  letters  in  this  volume  are  just  as  I  wrote  them  on 
trains,  at  hotels,  or  wherever  I  could  find  the  time.  No 
claim  of  literary  merit  is  made  for  them  but  my  hope  was  that 
they  might  inform  the  reader  and  give  pleasure. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  is  made  of  the  gracious  hospi- 
tality and  courteous  attentions  which  we  received  during  the 
progress  of  our  journey,  and  which  added  so  much  to  our 
enjoyment: 

To  Misses  Harriet,  Alice,  and  Florence  Marsh  and  Mr.  H. 

H.  Beebe,  of  Detroit,  Mich. 

Mrs.  Albert  Wisner  and  Messrs.  Tracy  C.  Drake,  L. 
A.  Neis,  E.  R.  Walsh,  and  S.  M.  Evans,  of  Chicago, 
111. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  A.  Wald  and  Miss  Lolabel  Shackel- 

ford  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  E.  Blackburne,  Messrs.  J.  Keating 

and  A.  N.  Wise,  of  Denver,  Col. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  Arthur  Johnson,  of  Fort  Collins,  Col. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  H.  Cahill,  of  Estes  Park,  Col. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  D.  Martin  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  M. 
Petersen,  of  Richfield,  Utah. 


INTRODUCTION 

Mr.  C.  J.  Steiner,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 
Messrs.  T.  W.  Ward  and  H.  A.  Bauer,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal. 

Mr.  A.  E.  Feltskog,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edgar  Vanderbilt  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A. 

H.  Keese  of  Pasadena,  Cal. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jeffrey  A.  Wisner  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 

Valentine  Van  Duzer,  of  Oroville,  Cal. 
Messrs.  H.  S.  and  James  Montgomery,  of  Portland, 

Oregon. 

Mr.  R.  V.  Miller,  of  Seattle,  Wash. 
Mr.  F.  W.  J.  Lowe,  of  Vancouver,  B.  C. 
Mr.  Robert  Ross,  of  Winnipeg,  Man. 
Mr.  J.  R.  Tanguay,  of  Toronto,  Ont. 
Mr.  Wm.  E.  Foley,  of  Albany,  N.  Y. 
Permit  me  also  to  express  my  appreciation  of  the  interest 
and  assistance  of  Mr.  Charles  H.  Ayres,  head  of  the  Book  De- 
partment of  The  American  News  Company,  Inc.,  who  kindly 
attended  to  the  details  of  this  publication. 

Go,  little  book,  I  only  hope  you  will  give  the  reader  a  small 
portion  of  the  pleasure  I  have  had  in  your  preparation ! 

FRANCIS  B.  SANFORD. 
New  York,  October  30,  1921. 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 


FRANCIS    B.    SANFORD 


Letters  of  the  Rambler 

DEAR  DISPATCH  : 

As  a  substitute  for  personal  letters  to  friends,  which  it  is 
difficult  to  find  time  to  write  while  traveling,  I  shall  send  you 
a  few  impressions  of  places  visited  in  the  hope  that,  if  pub- 
lished, they  may  revive  pleasant  recollections  of  your  readers 
who  are  acquainted  with  the  points  described,  and  prove  of 
interest  to  others,  and  arouse  their  desire  to  see  more  of  the 
beauty  spots  of  our  great  country  which  are  so  accessible  and 
will  well  repay  the  effort  and  sacrifice  of  making  a  personal 
pilgrimage. 

After  the  last  good-byes  to  our  well  wishers  who  came  to 
the  Grand  Central  to  start  us,  the  four  members  of  our 
party,  with  more  than  a  yard  of  tickets  each  besides  Pullman 
and  Hotel  reservations,  bags,  and  suit  cases,  boarded  the 
Empire  State  Express  on  a  summer  morning  to  begin  our 
long  trip.  This  splendid  train  rapidly  carried  us  from  the 
metropolis  of  the  new  world  and  in  quick  succession  revealed 
to  us  in  the  observation  car  familiar,  historic,  and  beautiful 
scenery,  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk  River  Valleys,  the  Pali- 
sades, the  Catskills,  the  foothills  of  the  Adirondacks,  great 
cities  pulsing  with  industrial  pursuits  and  fertile  farms. 
Buffalo  was  reached  exactly  on  time,  our  engineer  sometimes 
hitting  the  high  spots  at  about  a  75  mile  an  hour  gait. 

We  proceeded  to  Niagara  Falls  and  crossed  the  bridge, 
passed  the  customs  ordeal,  which  was  not  at  all  severe  when 
we  claimed  the  great  distinction  of  United  States  citizenship 

3 


4  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

and  explained  we  were  tourists.  Our  rooms  at  the  Clifton 
Hotel  on  the  Canadian  side  gave  us  magnificent  views  of 
both  the  American  and  Horse  Shoe  Falls.  First  impressions 
of  the  marvel  of  this  world  famous  scenery  are  deepened  by 
future  study  and  it  is  impossible  to  say  whether  these  Falls  are 
more  wonderful  in  the  twilight,  when  illuminated  by  artificial 
lights,  by  moonlight,  by  the  rising  sun,  or  in  the  full  daylight. 

The  twenty  mile  trolley  ride  through  the  Great  Gorge  worn 
out  by  the  Niagara  River  in  aeons  of  time  reveals  at  close 
range  the  Falls,  the  Rapids,  the  River  and  the  handiwork 
of  the  Creator,  and  also  Brock's  Monument,  a  memorial 
to  human  courage,  the  aero  car,  the  great  bridges,  the  power 
plants  and  other  evidences  of  man's  skill  and  prowess. 

Our  stay  was  so  impressive  and  inspiring  that  we  re- 
gretted to  leave  but  it  was  train  time  and  after  a  half  day's 
journey  through  southern  Ontario  with  its  highly  cultivated 
farms  and  fields  of  surprisingly  sweet  white  clover  we  crossed 
under  the  River  by  the  tunnel,  built  before  those  in  and 
around  New  York,  and  found  a  charming  and  cordial  welcome 
awaiting  us  on  the  part  of  our  Detroit  friends.  Two  days 
are  far  too  little  to  get  a  complete  idea  of  Detroit  as  the  great 
motor  center  of  the  world,  its  wonderful  auto  plants,  splen- 
did buildings,  hotels,  etc.  Our  rides  through  the  city,  to 
Grosse  Point  on  Lake  Saint  Claire,  passed  magnificent  resi- 
dences and  closing  with  a  picnic  supper  on  lovely  Belle  Isle 
Park  will  not  soon  be  forgotten.  As  at  Bear  Mountain 
every  facility  for  the  comfort  of  the  public  is  furnished  and 
in  addition  one  can  broil  his  own  steak  or  cook  other  food  on 
ovens  provided  for  that  purpose  by  the  Park  Commissioners 
without  cost.  A  few  stunts  at  the  Amusement  Park  near  the 
entrance  to  Belle  Isle  Bridge  brought  to  the  close  a  memor- 
able visit  to  Detroit. 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  5 

An  afternoon's  journey  across  the  States  of  Michigan, 
Indiana  and  Illinois,  with  splendid  fruit  and  other  farms,  and 
through  cities  noted  for  motor,  paper  and  steel  manufac- 
tures brought  us  to  Lake  Michigan  and  Chicago,  its  principal 
city.  Everything  seems  done  on  a  large  scale  in  Chicago. 
Great  public  buildings,  the  magnificent  Field  Museum 
built  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,000,000,  the  recently  constructed 
Wrigley  Building,  and  the  Municipal  Pier  extending  far  out 
into  the  Lake  were  conspicuous  new  points  of  interest  shown 
us  by  our  Chicago  friends.  Fifty  miles  of  drives  over  perfect 
roads,  with  elegant  homes  and  parks,  along  the  Lake 
shore,  through  stately  Boulevards  unrivaled,  where  the 
people  are  allowed  to  enjoy  the  green  grass,  are  among 
the  attractions.  Literally  thousands  were  bathing  from 
almost  before  daylight  until  after  the  searchlights 
were  turned  off  for  the  night  at  10  o'clock.  It  was  our 
good  fortune  to  make  our  home  at  the  Drake  Hotel  which 


THE  RAMBLER  AND  FAMILY  ON  THEIR  WAY 


6  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

proved  to  be  the  last  word  in  comfort  and  elegance.  By 
the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Tracy  C.  Drake,  the  genial  proprietor 
whose  employees  testify  that  for  broadness  of  mind  and  fair 
treatment  he  has  no  equal,  we  are  able  to  furnish  the  readers 
of  the  Dispatch  a  picture  of  this  great  center  of  the  social  life 
of  Chicago  with  800  guest  rooms  and  accommodations  for 
5,000  people  in  its  spacious  dining  rooms  overlooking  Lake 
Michigan.  A  photograph  of  the  Drake  Hotel  was  pub- 
lished in  connection  with  this  letter. 

RAMBLER. 
Chicago,  June  27,  1921. 


DEAR  DISPATCH  : 

On  our  last  evening  at  the  Drake  in  Chicago,  Mrs.  Albert 
Wisner,  Miss  Annie  Buckbee  Wisner,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ernest  Clark  called  upon  us  and  we  had  quite  a  company  of 
Warwick  people  and  those  interested  in  our  town  and  village. 
Mrs.  Wisner  gave  us  a  delightful  motor  ride  along  the  north 
shore  of  the  Lake,  which  was  cool  and  refreshing  after  several 
days  of  continuous  heat. 

The  younger  ramblers  were  on  the  qui  vive  as  we  boarded 
the  Santa  Fe  sleeper  for  their  first  experience  of  trying  to 
sleep  but  really  mostly  resting  while  we  crossed  Illinois,  the 
corner  of  Iowa  and  Missouri,  leaving  the  train  at  Kansas 
City.  This  progressive  community  has  over  3,000  acres  in 
parks,  and  90  miles  of  continuous  boulevards  and  is  a  thriving 
gateway  of  trade  to  the  South  and  West.  Our  friends  enter- 
tained us  with  lovely  drives,  dinner  and  beaut iful  piano 
music  at  the  Hill  Crest  Country  Club.  Our  pleasure  was 
increased  by  having  a  good  visit  with  J.  Alden  Sanford,  now 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  7 

connected  with  the  sales  department  of  the  Ingersoll  Rand 
Company  headquarters  at  St.  Louis. 

On  the  day  of  our  departure  the  morning  editor  of  the  well 
known  Kansas  City  Star  announced  the  selection  of  the  win- 
ning design  for  a  two  million  dollar  City  Liberty  Memorial 
consisting  of  a  200  foot  tower  and  base  80  feet  in  height,  a 
large  bowl  is  to  be  set  upon  the  wings  of  four  angels  at  the 
crest  of  the  tower.  In  the  bowl  a  New  York  architect  has  con- 
ceived to  keep  a  fire  burning,  a  flame  of  inspiration  guarded 
by  the  spirits  of  Courage,  Honor,  Patriotism,  and  Sacrifice, 
a  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  of  fire  by  night.  Structures  ac- 
cessory to  the  Memorial  will  be  used  as  a  club  house  for  those 
who  came  back  from  the  war  and  as  a  museum.  It  is  the 
purpose  to  have  this  memorial  placed  in  the  heart  of  the  city 
and  it  is  to  be  in  its  character  an  exaltation  of  peace  and  not 
of  war. 

Our  next  day  was  spent  traveling  along  the  Santa  Fe, 
which  marks  the  trail  of  the  first  missionaries  to  the  Indians 
of  the  West,  the  name  of  the  railroad  itself  meaning  the  "Holy 
Faith"  which  prompted  the  journey.  All  day  long  we  were 
passing  through  the  state  of  Kansas,  whose  per  capita  wealth 
is  said  to  be  the  greatest  in  the  Union,  whose  broad  acres  are 
now  yielding  a  rich  harvest  of  wheat,  some  being  cut  and 
threshed  in  the  fields,  also  of  waving  corn,  sugar  cane  and 
some  oil  wells.  Naturally  the  citizens  of  Kansas  are  boosters. 
I  saw  the  distinguished  writer,  William  Allen  White,  and  met  a 
former  judge  of  the  Kansas  Court  of  Appeals  who  attributes 
the  progress  and  wealth  of  Kansas  to  the  industry  and  thrift 
of  its  citizens,  its  advancement  in  education,  and  gave  his 
testimony  as  former  prosecuting  attorney  and  judge  to  the 
advantage  to  his  fellow  citizens  and  community  of  twenty 
years  of  prohibition.  Think  of  the  wholesome  effect  of 


8  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

this  condition  upon  the  boys  and  girls,  many  of  whom  have 
never  seen  a  saloon  or  a  drunken  person  i  I  also  heard  many 
kind  words  spoken  about  Governor  Allen  who  was  elected  to 
office  while  across  the  sea  in  war  service,  who  is  the  sponsor 
for  the  legislation  creating  an  Industrial  Court  which  solves 
the  differences  between  labor  and  capital  the  effectiveness  of 
which  is  being  watched  with  great  interest  all  over  our  land, 
and  who,  like  Vice-President  Coolidge,  gained  a  national 
reputation  by  the  courage  with  which  he  handled  a  coal  strike 
during  the  war.  Here  is  a  man  qualified  by  ability  and  far- 
sightedness for  the  task  for  which  the  country  may  need  and 
call  him. 

Early  the  next  morning  our  train  passed  Pueblo,  Col.,  the 
scene  of  devastation  by  recent  floods  early  in  June,  attended 
with  serious  loss  of  life  and  property.  Ruin,  mud,  broken 
bridges,  cars  overturned  and  houses  carried  away  from  their 
foundations  were  to  be  seen.  With  true  American  spirit 
and  with  the  sympathetic  assistance  of  fellow  countrymen, 
the  citizens  of  Pueblo  have  started  to  rebuild  their  city. 
Martial  law  has  been  ended  and  the  civil  authorities  have 
resumed  control.  Proceeding  North  the  grandeur  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  range  breaks  upon  us  and  we  are  in  plain 
sight  of  these  silent  sentinels,  many  peaks  crowned  with  snow, 
until  we  reached  Denver,  the  mile  high  city. 

RAMBLER. 

Denver,  Col.,  June  30,  1921. 


DEAR  DISPATCH  : 

A  week  in  the  Colorado  Rockies  constitutes  an  experience 
of  scenic  grandeur  and  sylvan  charm  to  enrich  a  life  time. 
While  exploring  Denver,  its  clean  wide  streets,  its  modern 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  9 

business  and  fine  state  and  city  public  buildings,  one  is  ever 
impressed  by  the  silent  mountains  twelve  miles  away  but  al- 
ways visible  and  apparently  close  at  hand.  Our  first  near 
view,  however,  was  in  a  delightful  twilight  drive  with  friends 
through  Sheridan  and  Morrison  and  the  fascinating  Bear 
Creek  Canyon,  as  the  openings  in  the  mountains  are  called 
from  which  the  streams  gush  forth.  Denver  has  built  fine 
motor  driveways  along  these  streams  and  created  a  unique 
series  of  mountain  parks.  In  the  lengthening  shadows  with 
every  varying  hue  of  beauty  of  sunset  skies,  we  reached  Look- 
out Mountain  from  which  the  city  of  Denver  brilliantly 
illuminated  and  Golden  at  our  feet  looked  like  fairyland. 

After  climbing  up  to  see  the  grave  of  Buffalo  Bill  in  the 
rocks  on  the  mountain  top  and  stopping  at  an  interesting 
park  cottage  of  the  chalet  type  where  refreshments  are  dis- 
pensed and  dancing  may  be  enjoyed  besides  giving  the  public 
an  opportunity  to  see  first  hand  various  mementoes  and 
relics  of  Buffalo  Bill  from  Indian  scalps  to  gifts  made  him  by 
royalty  all  of  which  are  explained  by  Mr.  Baker,  his  foster 
son,  we  made  our  descent  via  the  "Lariat  Trail"  which  winds 
in  sinuous  loops  along  precipitous  cliffs,  but  protected 
by  parapet  walls. 

We  journeyed  from  Denver  to  Fort  Collins  where  the 
Rambler  met  his  old  college  friend,  Mr.  S.  Arthur  Johnson, 
Dean  of  the  State  Agricultural  College.  This  gave  us  a 
splendid  opportunity  to  see  this  practical  institution  where 
the  young  farmers,  boys  and  girls,  about  one  thousand  in 
regular  courses,  are  learning  intensive  methods  of  efficient 
farm  culture  and  domestic  science.  We  here  saw  the  sugar 
beet,  alfalfa  and  crops  of  grain,  also  the  sun  flowers  to  be  used 
in  the  silos.  The  irrigation  system  insures  abundant  yields 
if  the  necessary  work  is  done  to  conquer  the  weeds. 


10  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

From  Fort  Collins  we  proceeded  in  a  large  White  Motor  bus 
painted  red,  through  the  Big  Thompson  Canyon  in  a  forty 
mile  drive  of  rugged  and  entrancing  beauty  to  Estes  Park 
on  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  National  Park 
at  an  altitude  of  about  8,000  feet.  Here  we  found  comfort- 
able quarters  in  a  cottage  of  two  rooms  and  two  sleeping 
porches  with  excellent  hotel  dining  facilities.  On  three 
sides  of  the  valley  rise  the  great  peaks  and  ridges  of  the 
Rockies  twelve  and  thirteen  thousand  feet  in  altitude.  The 
snow-patched  crest  of  the  Divide  culminates  in  the  majestic 
pinnacle  of  Long's  Peak,  the  monarch  of  the  Park  over 
fourteen  thousand  feet  high.  Each  walk  and  motor  drive 
increased  our  admiration  for  the  beautiful  valley  and  the 
glorious  hills.  We  spent  a  restful  week  end  and  our  pleasure 
was  enhanced  by  meeting  an  old  New  York  friend  who  con- 
fided that  he  has  done  some  of  his  best  writing  in  the  cottage 
they  have  built  at  Estes  Park  where  he  and  his  wife  spend 
at  least  three  months  each  summer.  While  we  were  using 
extra  bed  coverings  and  heavy  clothing  with  a  temperature 
of  49  degrees  in  the  early  mornings  and  enjoying  the 
warmth  of  the  huge  fireplace  blaze  the  papers  reported  the 
country  east  and  west  was  passing  through  a  period  of  severe 
heat  prostration. 

In  the  little  Village  Church  we  attended  a  most  interest- 
ing service  which  was  conducted  by  Mr.  Nicholson  one  of 
the  founders  of  Gideons,  an  organization  among  traveling 
men  to  which  all  are  indebted  for  furnishing  copies  of  the 
Bible  in  the  hotels  all  over  the  country.  With  reluctance  we 
packed  our  bags  and  started  on  our  seventy-five  mile  ride  into 
Denver,  this  time,  through  the  St.  Vrain  Canyon,  passing 
Lyons  and  Longmount.  Copious  rains  had  made  the  roads 
difficult  and  in  many  places  our  experience  was  exciting,  if  not 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  11 

pleasant,  while  the  motor  truck  skidded  from  side  to  side,  not 
more  reassuring  as  the  great  irrigation  ditches  full  of  water 
often  ran  along  the  highways. 

From  Denver  we  proceeded  by  train  to  Colorado  Springs. 
We  enjoyed  the  broad  streets  and  handsome  residences  of 
the  city  and  the  delightful  comfort  of  the  Antler's  Hotel 
with  its  charming  gardens  and  superb  views  of  Pike's  Peak 
and  the  surrounding  mountains.  A  morning's  drive  took 
us  to  the  Garden  of  the  Gods,  containing  curious  rock  for- 
mations, the  gateway  consisting  of  two  great  monoliths 
of  red  sandstone.  These  marvels  of  nature  were  worshipped 
by  the  Indians  who  came  down  from  the  mountains  and  this 
gave  the  place  its  name.  We  saw  an  ossified  and  met  some 
living  Ute  Indians  who  lent  color  to  the  scene  with  their 
bright  head  dresses  and  trappings  and  were  easily  persuaded 
to  play  their  musical  instruments  and  dance  for  us.  We 
also  visited  South  Cheyenne  Canyon  and  the  Seven  Falls  and 
the  magnificent  new  Broadmoor  Hotel  recently  completed 
at  large  expense  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  An  afternoon 
thirty  mile  motor  trip  through  the  lovely  village  of  Manitou 
(the  Ute  name  for  Deity)  up  the  Ute  pass  and  over  the  won- 
derful new  auto  road  through  the  Pike  National  Forest, 
brought  us  to  the  very  tip  top  point  of  Pike's  Peak,  14,109 
feet  high.  The  road  twenty  to  fifty  feet  wide  with  an  aver- 
age grade  of  7  per  cent,  and  a  maximum  of  10|  per  cent,  is  a 
marvel  of  engineering  construction  and  splendid  care.  The 
interest  of  our  trip  was  heightened  by  the  fact  that  the  upper 
part  of  our  ascent  was  through  a  blinding  hail  and  snow 
storm.  We  saw  snow  banks  along  the  sides  of  the  road 
eight  to  ten  feet  deep  through  which  the  path  we  took  had 
been  shoveled.  At  the  summit  the  log  fire,  hot  soup  and 
other  refreshments  were  equally  welcome.  Fortunately  the 


12  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

sun  shone  brightly  for  a  time,  so  we  had  never-to-be-forgotten 
views  from  the  highest  mountain  summit  in  the  world  pro- 
vided with  such  an  auto  road.  Coming  down  the  turning, 
twisting,  winding  road,  we  realized  more  keenly  the  danger 
of  the  journey  unless  with  competent  and  experienced  drivers 
such  as  the  one  who  guided  our  substantial  Packard  car. 


THE  RAMBLER  WITH  UTE  INDIANS  IN  THE  GARDEN  OF  THE 
GODS,  COLORADO  SPRINGS,  COLO. 

Again  we  passed  through  severe  cold,  a  hail  and  snow  storm, 
also  a  hard  thunderstorm,  with  its  impressive  electrical  dis- 
play, but  as  we  neared  the  bottom  of  the  mountain,  the  sun 
again  came  out  and  everything  was  clear  and  bright  and  two 
brilliant  rainbows  of  promise  shone  before  us  and  we  all 
realized  we  had  experienced  without  discomfort  one  of  the 
world's  most  wonderful  trips 

From  Colorado  Springs  we  took  the  Scenic  Limited  Ex- 
press of  the  Denver  and  Rio  Grande,  running  in  two  sections, 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  13 

so  heavy  was  the  travel,  and  for  the  entire  day  we  enjoyed  a 
succession  of  wondrous  mountain  views.  We  passed  the 
stricken  Pueblo  and  then  followed  the  course  of  the  Arkansas 
River  which  had  been  principally  responsible  for  the  damage 
done.  We  saw  where  the  great  dam  had  broken  and  the 
pent-up  water  when  released  carried  away  houses  and  other 
buildings  and  tore  out  great  railway  bridges  or  anything 
which  impeded  its  course.  Ten  miles  through  the  Royal 
Gorge,  the  mightiest  chasm  in  the  world  traversed  by  steel 
rails,  is  taken  in  special  observation  cars  without  tops  to  im- 
pede the  views  of  the  great  mountains  bordering  the  twists 
and  turns  of  the  River's  course.  In  places  there  is  scarcely 
room  enough  for  the  single  railroad  track  between  the 
mountain  and  the  boiling  river  and  often  the  rails  are  built 
out  over  the  stream.  Up  higher  and  higher  our  train  was 
taken  by  its  two  engines  over  the  Continental  Divide  through 
other  river  canyons  and  passing  majestic  peaks  in  all  their 
varying  moods  and  color,  many  snow  covered,  where  the 
Rockies  are  the  highest.  Such  scenes  remind  one  of  the 
familiar  words  of  the  Psalmist  "I  will  lift  up  my  eyes  unto 
the  hills  from  whence  cometh  my  help."  and  "The  Strength 
of  the  hills  is  His  also." 

RAMBLER. 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah, 
July  16,  1921. 


DEAR  DISPATCH: 

A  side  trip  through  San  Pete  and  Sevier,  two  of  the  most 
fertile  valleys  in  Utah,  brought  us  to  Richfield  where  we  had 
a  happy  family  reunion  with  Mr.  Theodore  D.  Martin  and 
Mrs.  Martin,  nee  Marian  W.  Edsall,  and  her  parents,  Dr. 


14  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

and  Mrs.  A.  W.  Edsall,  of  Warwick.  Mr.  Martin  is  the  prin- 
cipal of  the  High  School  at  Richfield,  a  village  somewhat 
larger  than  Warwick,  with  three  banks  and  a  beet  sugar  fac- 
tory in  the  vicinity.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  are 
highly  esteemed  by  the  people  of  the  community  and  are 
leaders  in  educational  and  other  lines  of  social  activity.  In 
addition  to  having  a  good  garden,  like  Professor  Haight,  Mr. 
Martin  is  also  cultivating  several  acres  of  the  High  School 
property,  having  planted  crops  of  alfalfa, -oats  and  potatoes. 
We  were  indebted  to  Mrs.  Martin  for  arranging  a  plunge  and 
picnic  at  the  warm  springs  at  Monroe  and  a  delightful  motor 
drive  and  supper  in  the  Clear  Creek  Canyon.  On  this  trip 
some  of  the  peculiar  signs  of  the  Indian  cliff  dwellers  on  the 
rocks  were  pointed  out  to  us.  We  met  a  number  of  the  local 
people  including  Mormons  who  .were  most  cordial  and  kind 
to  us.  As  I  understand  Doctor  Edsall  plans  writing  the 
Dispatch  about  Richfield  and  Utah  I  shall  simply  add  my 
appreciation  of  the  beauty  and  charm  of  Salt  Lake  City  and 
of  the  farsightedness  of  the  pioneers  who  here  made  a  garden 
spot  out  of  the  desert  and  shall  at  once  endeavor  to  share 
with  you  my  enthusiasm  resulting  from  five  incomparable 
days  in  Yellowstone,  the  oldest  and  largest  of  our  National 
Parks. 

On  our  arrival  at  West  Yellowstone,  Montana,  the  Oregon 
Short  Line  of  the  Union  Pacific  System  started  us  off  with  a 
splendid  breakfast.  Our  registrations  completed  we  were 
soon  on  our  way  in  the  same  kind  of  large  White  busses  we  had 
at  Estes  and  Rocky  Mt.  Parks,  this  time  painted  yellow. 
We  soon  entered  the  Park  gate,  passed  into  the  State  of 
Wyoming,  enjoyed  the  pine  trees  and  followed  the  course  of 
the  Madison  River,  then  stopped  to  see  the  wonders  of  the 
Excelsior  Geyser  basin.  Here  we  examined  the  Geysers 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  15 

and  proceeded  to  view  even  greater  marvels  in  upper  Geyser 
basin  and  the  Giant,  the  Grand,  Castle,  Daisy  Geysers  and 
Morning  Glory,  Emerald  and  other  pools  and  finally  ended  our 
first  day's  ride  of  thirty  miles  at  Old  Faithful  Camp.  We 
greatly  enjoyed  the  informality  of  the  Camps  where  we  slept 
in  canvas  tents  with  wooden  floors  and  wainscoting,  some 
provided  with  screens  and  electric  lights  and  small  stoves  in 
which  a  wood  fire  could  be  quickly  kindled  before  one  rose 
to  furnish  warm  water  and  a  little  congenial  heat  on  a  cool 
morning.  The  helpers  in  the  Camps  are  college  and  high 
school  boys  and  girls  who  are  spending  their  vacations  in 
most  healthful  surroundings  and  at  the  same  time  earn  a 
modest  return  and  make  acquaintances  with  the  tourists. 
The  table  is  plain  but  wholesome  and  each  evening  an  enter- 
tainment is  provided  by  the  guests  or  students  which  is  usu- 
ally followed  by  an  impressive  camp  fire  in  the  open  with  well 
led  community  singing  to  close  the  day's  programme,  after 
which  those  who  desire  may  dance  in  Recreation  Hall.  At 
Old  Faithful  great  crowds  are  always  waiting  for  the  eruption 
which  throws  the  water  100  to  150  feet  about  each  hour. 
Sometimes  the  ascending  water  assumes  a  plume  shape, 
sometimes  like  a  pyramid,  and  sometimes  it  looks  like  steam, 
but  always  beautiful  and  inspiring  whether  seen  in  sunlight, 
in  the  moonlight,  or  with  the  searchlight  playing  upon  it.  The 
United  States  Government  provides  competent  guides  to 
accompany  sightseers  and  explain  the  various  points  of 
interest.  A  favorite  diversion  is  to  visit  the  garbage  dumps 
when  the  bears,  black,  cinnamon,  and  grizzly,  are  feeding. 
They  grow  quite  tame  and  one  particular  bear  named  Pete 
is  usually  on  hand  every  day  to  meet  travelers  between 
Old  Faithful  and  Yellowstone  Lake,  putting  his  fore  paws 
on  the  automobile  door  and  taking  candy  or  other  food  direct 


16  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

out  of  the  hands  of  the  giver.  His  picture  is  no  doubt 
taken  more  frequently  than  that  of  any  other  bear  in  the 
Park.  Each  day's  drive  differs  in  scenery  from  former 
ones,  but  all  are  interesting  and  with  a  great  variety. 

The  Yellowstone  Camp  is  located  on  the  bank  of  Yellow- 
stone Lake,  the  shore  line  of  which  is  over  one  hundred  miles 
surrounded  on  many  sides  by  snow-peaked  mountains.  Mr. 
Ed.  H.  Herpel,  a  charming  Texan  from  San  Antonio,  per- 
suaded the  Rambler  to  rise  at  five  one  morning  to  try  his 
luck  with  the  wily  trout.  Result — a  couple  of  hours  of  royal 
sport  on  the  Lake  and  the  Yellowstone  River  which  empties 
into  it  and  enough  salmon  trout  for  both  our  families,  nicely 
cooked  for  us  at  the  Camp. 

The  Canyon  Camp  was  peculiarly  interesting  to  us  with 
the  impressive  Falls,  upper  and  lower  or  Great  Falls,  the 
beautiful  canyon  1,200  feet  deep  with  rugged  walks  and 
drives  to  points  of  interest  and  magnificent  views.  At  the 
Mammoth  Camp  are  the  wonderful  Terraces  with  marvelous 
colorings,  the  result  of  ages  of  action  of  the  warm  springs 
from  the  pure  white  of  Angel's  Terrace  to  the  rich  brown 
color  of  Cleopatra  Terrace  and  the  green  of  Jupiter's  Pool. 
Here  also  we  visited  the  corral  where  we  saw  nineteen 
buffaloes,  the  courteous  ranger  taking  pictures  for  us  of  the 
herd  from  horseback  inside  the  enclosure.  As  at  Faithful, 
Mammoth  also  has  an  outdoor  swimming  pool  of  warm 
spring  water  which  proved  very  attractive  to  all,  but  the 
temperature  was  too  warm  to  be  invigorating  to  one  ac- 
customed to  bathing  in  cool  waters. 

Yellowstone  contains  4,000  hot  springs,  more  geysers  than 
in  all  the  rest  of  the  world.  It  has  a  mud  volcano,  a  cliff 
of  glass,  a  roaring  mountain,  see  thing  multi-colored  paint  pots, 
a  natural  bridge,  waterfalls  of  great  height  and  volume,  dense 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  17 

forests,  mostly  of  pine,  spruce  fir,  and  cedar,  and  also  areas 
of  petrified  forests  with  trunks  standing.  Wild  flowers 
of  great  variety  and  brilliancy  of  color  grow  in  profusion 
and  200  varieties  of  birds  and  many  wild  animals  are  found 
here. 

A  day's  trip  across  the  south  end  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake, 
over  the  salt  desert  areas  of  Utah,  with  apparently  sufficient 


YELLOWSTONE    PARK    MOTOR    CAR    AT    OLD    FAITHFUL    CAMP 

salt  supplies  for  the  world's  needs,  across  barren  stretches  of 
the  State  of  Nevada  with  occasional  fertile  ranches,  stocked 
with  large  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep,  passing  through  only 
a  few  towns  of  any  size  and  over  the  mountains,  in  many 
of  which  are  rich  mines,  we  entered  the  State  of  Califor- 
nia, through  the  Feather  River  Canyon,  a  description  of 
which  will  be  reserved  for  our  next  letter. 

RAMBLER. 
San  Francisco,  July  20,  1921. 


18  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

DEAR  DISPATCH  : 

Two  weeks  are  as  inadequate  to  see  California  as  are  my 
abilities  to  describe  and  do  justice  to  points  visited.  My 
little  narratives  are  not  intended  to  furnish  historical  or 
complete  information  but,  as  stated  in  my  first  letter,  simply 
to  record  some  of  my  impressions. 

We  chose  to  enter  California  as  did  the  forty  niners  who 
came  to  search  for  gold.  Like  them,  we  descended  the  west- 
ern slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  divided  through  its  mighty 
rift;  the  Feather  River  Canyon.  These  hardy  pioneers  were 
the  first  white  settlers  of  the  State  except  Spanish  priests  who 
founded  a  line  of  Missions  among  the  Indians  in  the  18th 
century  extending  from  San  Diego  to  San  Francisco,  many  of 
which  buildings  still  standing  in  their  original  simplicity 
are  carefully  preserved.  Like  the  miners,  we  enjoyed  the 
ever-changing  scenery,  the  gorges  and  rugged  chasms  through 
which  the  Feather  River  runs  about  one  hundred  miles,  the 
gentler  phases,  the  spiral  curves  tunnelling  the  mountains 
thirty-two  times  as  we  sought  the  sea  level  from  an  eleva- 
tion of  about  6,000  feet.  This  canyon  has  become  quite  a 
summer  resort  with  large  hotels,  cottages,  camps  and  motor 
highways  of  the  excellence  for  which  California  is  renowned 
yet  withal  retaining  the  natural  beauty  of  the  scene  and 
the  excellent  trout  fishing  for  which  the  river  is  famous. 

Emerging  from  the  canyon  we  reached  Oroville  and  spent 
most  of  the  rest  of  the  day  passing  through  fertile  valleys 
where  large  quantities  of  fruit,  nuts,  farm  and  garden  pro- 
duce were  raised.  Unlike  the  pioneers  we  found  no  gold 
waiting  to  be  appropriated,  however  we  saw  placer  mining 
operations  for  gold  and  we  had  no  difficulty  at  all  in  dis- 
tributing our  savings  for  which  we  felt  wre  received  our 
money's  worth. 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  19 

We  decided  California  is  properly  called  the  Golden  State 
with  its  golden  poppy-covered  fields,  its  golden  oranges,  its 
golden  gate,  its  golden  sun  and  sunsets,  to  say  nothing  of  its 
marvelous  native  wealth,  its  objects  of  natural  beauty  and 
its  manufactures. 

We  first  visited  San  Francisco,  the  metropolis  of  the 
Pacific  and  one  of  the  finest  cities  of  the  United  States. 
Motor  trips  and  kind  friends  showed  us  many  of  the  places 
of  interest,  views  from  the  Twin  Peaks,  the  beautiful  Golden 
Gate  Park  developed  from  a  sand  heap  under  the  efficient 
Scotch  caretaker's  continuous  service  of  over  twenty  years 
through  changing  political  administrations;  the  famous 
Cliff  Drive  on  the  beach,  including  the  Seal  Rocks,  the  Prae- 
sidio  (U.  S.  Military  reservation),  the  site  of  the  Panama 
Pacific  Exposition  beautified  by  Mr.  McLaren,  the  Scots- 
man referred  to,  but  now  allowed  to  run  down  through 
inattention,  the  residential  section  of  the  city  and  its  charm- 
ing suburbs,  the  impressive  buildings  and  grounds  of  Leland 
Stanford  University  at  Palo  Alto,  the  great  hotels,  business 
buildings  and  Chinatown.  A  day  was  spent  in  a  delightful 
excursion  to  Mount  Tamalpais  by  the  crookedest  railroad 
in  the  world  from  the  summit  of  which  splendid  views  of  the 
harbor,  the  environs  of  the  city,  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  sur- 
rounding country  were  obtained.  Here  also  we  saw  the 
Muir  woods,  a  beautiful  grove  of  the  variety  of  Big  Trees, 
which  grow  near  the  coast  some  of  which  we  examined  more 
carefully,  near  Santa  Cruz  on  our  way  by  the  coast  line 
branch  of  the  Southern  Pacific,  which  is  called  the  Railroad 
of  1,000  wonders.  Mr.  Sproul,  the  President,  once  told  me 
that  next  to  the  State  of  California,  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad  was  the  greatest  thing  in  California.  We  visited 
and  had  luncheon  at  the  Casino  of  the  Casa  del  Rey,  seaside 


20  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

hotel  at  Santa  Cruz,  with  a  splendid  bathing  beach  and 
other  attractions. 

We  enjoyed  Monterey  Bay  with  its  great  rambling  hotel 
at  Del  Monte,  its  beautiful  grounds,  flower  gardens  and 
splendid  auto  drive  along  the  cliffs  in  an  estate  of  7,000  acres, 
where  we  again  saw  the  seals  at  home  on  the  rocks,  besides 
great  numbers  of  pelicans  and  cormorants. 

The  concert  hall  where  Jenny  Lind  sang  and  the  home  of 
Robert  Louis  Stevenson  and  other  interesting  places  were 
pointed  out  to  us  in  historic  Monterey  and  Pacific  Grove. 
Grinnell  Burt  told  me  he  had  rented  a  cottage  at  Carmel  in 
this  vicinity,  which  he  considers  the  greatest  center  of  all 
kinds  of  sport  in  the  country,  with  wonderful  golf  links, 
tennis  courts,  and  polo  grounds,  besides  furnishing  the  op- 
portunity for  all  kinds  of  aquatic  sports  also  splendid  pre- 
serves for  duck  shooting  and  other  hunting  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood. 

A  day's  journey  over  the  Coast  Range  Mountains,  through 
a  succession  of  tunnels,  for  over  100  miles  in  sight  of  the  ocean, 
passing  high  above  Point  Conception,  and,  witnessing  the 
unusual  sight  of  extracting  oil  from  the  sea  itself,  brought 
us  to  Santa  Barbara  famed  for  its  genial  climate,  beautiful 
homes,  its  well  preserved  Mission,  and  fine  hotels.  We 
particularly  enjoyed  one  drive  to  the  Mission,  passed  the 
Parks,  the  cozy  and  artistic  bungalow  hotels  and  the  lovely 
homes  of  Santa  Barbara,  then  along  the  mountain  road  to 
Monte  Cito  and  Miramar.  We  were  privileged  to  go  through 
the  magnificent  grounds  of  one  of  the  greatest  estates,  that 
of  an  Oakland  banker,  besides  seeing  those  of  many  well- 
known  millionaires  and  including  the  home  of  Mr.  William 
Bliss,  of  New  York,  who  there  entertained  the  King  and 
Queen  of  Belgium  on  their  recent  visit. 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  21 

With  reluctance  we  bade  "Good-bye"  to  Santa  Barbara, 
hoping  to  return  and  after  an  afternoon's  ride  in  a  crowded 
train  we  reached  Los  Angeles.  Although  many  of  our  trips 
on  the  Southern  Pacific  proved  hot  they  were  not  dusty  and 
dirty  as  on  other  roads  which  do  not  burn  oil.  We  also 
found  all  railroad  employees  courteous  and  obliging.  Los 
Angeles  has  now  passed  her  rival  San  Francisco  in  population, 


HOOKER    OAK,    CHICO,    CAL. 

and  it  is  the  great  business  and  social  center  of  the  southern 
coast.  We  attended  a  remarkable  service  at  the  Auditor- 
ium Theatre  on  Sunday  evening,  given  under  the  auspices 
of  the  progressive  Temple  Baptist  Church.  A  vast  audience 
of  nearly  6,000  joined  in  singing  familiar  hymns  under  the 
leadership  of  a  great  choir  on  the  stage  and  two  quartets  of 
soloists.  A  most  interesting  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr. 
J.  Frank  Norris,  of  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  one  of  the  most  elo- 
quent preachers  of  the  South.  The  subject  of  his  discourse 


22  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

was  the  speaker's  recent  visit  and  interview  with  Pope 
Benedict  at  Rome.  At  Los  Angeles  we  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  some  of  the  great  cafeterias  where  each  patron  arms 
himself  with  a  tray,  makes  his  own  selection  from  the  appe- 
tizing food  exhibited,  eats  at  comfortable  tables,  sometimes 
with  orchestra  music,  all  at  reasonable  cost  and  eliminating 
the  tedious  delays  of  hotels  and  restaurant  service  to  say 
nothing  of  the  autocratic  exactions  of  obsequious  waiters. 
In  an  afternoon's  drive  we  saw  many  moving  picture  studios, 
beautiful  homes,  large  palatial  estates  and  cozy  bungalows 
amid  trees  and  floral  settings  of  great  charm  and  variety  in 
Los  Angeles,  Hollywood,  and  Pasadena  (including  Orange 
Grove  Avenue,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  streets  in  this 
country).  In  the  latter  place  we  called  on  Eastern  friends 
who  have  made  their  permanent  homes  in  this  most  attrac- 
tive city.  Among  them  were  the  Misses  Mary  and  Susie 
Wisner,  who  had  many  kind  expressions  for  Warwick  and 
greetings  for  their  relatives  and  many  friends.  We  regretted 
not  to  see  their  sister,  Miss  Carrie  Wisner,  who  also  now  lives 
in  Pasadena. 

THE  RAMBLER. 
Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  July  27,  1921. 


DEAR  DISPATCH: 

From  Los  Angeles  one  of  the  delightful  outings  is  a  trip  to 
Catalina  Island.  This  includes  an  hour's  comfortable  ride 
on  the  rapid  Pacific  Electric  to  Wilmington,  one  of  the  sea- 
ports where  there  is  much  ship  building  and  from  which  great 
quantities  of  lumber,  oil  and  other  exports  are  shipped.  A 
two  hour  ride  on  the  Pacific  Ocean  on  the  large  and  steady 
new  steamship  Avalon  brought  us  to  the  little  town  of  the 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  23 

same  name  on  the  island.  Fortunately  the  sea  was  calm  so 
every  one  thoroughly  enjoyed  this  part  of  our  journey.  The 
pleasure  of  our  going  trip  was  enhanced  by  meeting  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  White  and  daughter,  Betty,  who  were  starting  for  a 
week's  camping  trip  at  Catalina.  It  was  a  novel  experience 
to  ride  on  the  glass  bottomed  boat  through  which  we  exam- 
ined the  citizens  of  the  deep  and  their  wonderful  surroundings 
in  the  marine  gardens.  Our  guide  pointed  out  many  varie- 
ties of  fish,  some  of  beautiful  colors,  also  sea  weeds,  shells,  and 
other  ocean  growths.  A  diver  entertained  us  by  picking  up 
articles  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  throwing  kisses  to  the 
ladies  and  doing  other  stunts  all  in  our  plain  sight  and  re- 
maining under  water  more  than  three  minutes  without  wear- 
ing any  diver's  helmet  or  apparatus  of  any  kind;  he  simply 
wore  an  ordinary  bathing  suit.  The  deep  blue  color  of  the 
water,  its  clearness,  the  location  and  general  contour  of  the 
Island,  its  hills  and  roads  and  also  the  diving  reminded  me 
strongly  of  our  visit  to  the  Island  of  Capri  and  its  Blue 
Grotto  in  the  Mediterranean  off  the  coast  of  Italy.  We  were 
sorry  not  to  see  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Sparks  and  Miss 
Myrtis,  but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  (nee  Sparks)  assured  us  al- 
though business  may  keep  them  in  Los  Angeles,  they  all 
hope  and  expect  to  return  to  their  home  in  Warwick. 

On  another  side  trip  we  went  to  Riverside  by  the  Electric 
Express.  We  journeyed  through  miles  of  orange,  lemon  and 
grape  fruit  groves,  orchards  of  olives  and  nuts  heavily  laden, 
a  rare  and  beautiful  sight  particularly  so  in  burned  and  dusty 
California.  We  considered  ourselves  fortunate  to  remain 
over  night  at  the  restful  and  unique  Mission  Inn.  The 
atmosphere  of  the  place  is  well  expressed  in  the  quotation 
above  the  desk:  "You  cannot  be  both  grand  and  comfort- 
able." The  Inn  occupies  an  entire  city  block  and  in  archi- 


24  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

lecture,  furnishings, etc.,  it  resembles  one  of  the  old  missions. 
Our  rooms  were  plain  in  their  appointments,  but  quiet  and 
opening  on  a  balcony  overlooking  the  Court  of  Birds.  Oh, 
that  I  might  share  with  you  the  charm  of  this  scene!  Gaily 
plumed  large  and  small  parrots,  mocking  and  other  birds,  a 
profusion  of  tropical  shrubs  and  foliage  and  beautiful  fragrant 
flowers  of  many  colors  and  descriptions.  Our  luncheon  and 
dinner  were  served  in  the  Spanish  patio,  an  interior  court  in 
the  center  of  which  was  a  fountain.  An  Indian  girl  in  cos- 
tume favored  us  with  sweet  music  on  the  harp  from  a  balcony 
while  we  were  eating,  and  many  canaries  added  their  joyful 
notes  to  the  glad  occasions.  Organ  recitals  in  the  Chapel 
with  vocal  solos  entertained  the  guests  two  or  three  times 
a  day.  An  art  gallery,  underground  passages  containing 
statuary  and  interesting  objects  connected  with  the  missions 
seemed  appropriate  as  did  the  collection  of  bells,  some  very 
old,  in  one  of  the  galleries.  At  all  times  baskets  of  oranges 
were  kept  in  the  bedrooms  with  a  card  showing  they  were 
there  due  to  the  thoughtful  ness  of  the  manager  for  the  free 
use  of  the  guests. 

A  motor  trip  to  Smiley  Heights,  a  lovely  and  sightly 
park,  the  winter  home  of  the  well-known  Smiley  family  of 
Lake  Mohonk,  through  Redlands  known  for  its  wealth,  gave 
us  more  intimate  views  of  the  beauty  and  fertility  of  this 
great  section  of  the  country  reclaimed  from  the  desert  by 
irrigation.  We  were  told  we  passed  50,000  acres  of  citrus 
fruit  on  this  drive  in  the  center  of  the  orange  district,  many 
trees  laden  with  full-grown  golden  fruit. 

In  the  grounds  of  a  private  residence  at  Redlands  we  saw 
climbing  roses  growing  to  a  height  of  75  feet,  maidenhair 
ferns  growing  up  the  trunks  of  palm  trees  at  least  20  feet,  and 
in  Riverside  we  saw  a  hedge  of  asparagus  ferns  separating  a 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  25 

Sunkist  orange  grove  from  the  highway,  flowering  century 
plants  and  palms  of  great  variety,  size,  and  beauty.  We 
hoped  to  see  Mr.  and  Mrs.  V.  A.  Wilder  and  Donald  at  Red- 
lands,  but  learned  they  had  moved  to  Carson  City, Neb.  After 
visiting  Sherman  School  for  Indian  children  our  drive  was 
concluded  by  the  ascent  of  Mt.  Rubidoux.  This  is  not  a 
high  mountain,  some  2,000  feet,  but  its  location  is  exceptional. 
To  the  north  the  San  Bernardino  Range  with  Mounts  Wilson 
and  Lowe  occupying  places  of  prominence.  To  the  south, 
what  is  called  the  Fault,  the  wild,  chaotic  confusion  of  lower 
hills  caused  by  earthquakes,  all  of  the  mountains  bare-looking 
with  no  green  trees,  only  sage,  cactus,  and  desert  growths. 
East  and  west  were  fertile  valleys  and  miles  of  groves  and 
orchards,  cities  and  towns.  As  we  raised  our  eyes,  a  gold 
ray  of  the  setting  sun  rested  upon  the  substantial  wooden 
cross  at  the  very  summit  of  the  mountain,  the  symbol  of 
the  love  and  sacrifice  which  led  to  the  discovery  and  devel- 
opment of  this  land.  We  learned  with  interest  of  the  inspir- 
ing non-denominational  service  held  on  this  very  spot  at 
sunrise  each  Easter  morning.  Mr.  White  told  us  they  had 
left  Los  Angeles  at  midnight  to  motor  out  to  attend  the 
service.  Frequently  25,000  people  are  present.  Places  are 
reserved  for  the  clergy,  prominent  guests,  soloists,  and  the 
chorus.  The  service  is  largely  musical.  Usually  just  as  the 
sun  rises  the  cornet  soloist  plays  "The  Holy  City." 

Again  we  packed  our  bags  with  regret  and  left  Riverside 
hoping  to  come  again.  After  taking  leave  of  our  Texas 
friends  whom  we  met  in  Yellowstone  and  with  whom  we  trav- 
eled to  San  Francisco,  again  meeting  them  at  Los  Angeles, 
we  started  north  on  the  Southern  Pacific  this  time  by  the 
inland  route  over  the  Tehachapi  Pass  to  Sacramento,  the 
State  capital.  After  a  short  drive  around  the  city  we 


26  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

took  the  limited  electric  train  on  the  Sacramento  and  North- 
ern R.  R.,  this  one  equipped  with  most  comfortable  movable 
chairs  and  having  observation  features  and  covered  the  75 
miles  to  Oroville  before  the  railroad  train  started  from 
Sacramento.  We  were  met  at  the  station  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jeffrey  A.  Wisner,  who  took  us  five  miles  to  their  attractive 
home  in  an  olive  and  peach  ranch  near  Wyandotte.  Jeff's 
next  neighbor  is  his  old  friend  Valentine  VanDuzer,  who 
brought  his  wife  and  baby  to  see  us,  took  us  to  his  pleasant 
home  and  ranch,  and  showed  us  many  thoughtful  atten- 
tions. 

We  called  on  Mrs.  Louise  P.  Burt  at  her  cozy  bungalow, 
near  Palermo,  where  we  also  met  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grinnell 
Burt  and  had  a  pleasant  evening  exchanging  Warwick  news 
and  renewing  interrupted  friendships.  We  were  sorry  to 
miss  seeing  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pierson  Burt  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dunning  Fowler  who  live  near  by,  but  they  were  in  San 
Francisco.  Their  many  friends  will  be  pleased  to  hear  from 
the  members  of  the  Warwick  colony  at  Oroville  who  repre- 
sent some  of  our  best  old  families  and  I  am  sure  all  will  wish 
these  young  men  great  success  in  their  chosen  field  of  activ- 
ity to  add  new  lustre  to  the  names  they  bear  which  are  so 
intimately  and  honorably  connected  with  Warwick's  history 
and  development. 

The  time  passed  all  too  quickly,  so  royally  were  we  enter- 
tained and  in  addition  to  driving  us  around  Oroville  Jeff 
and  Tine  and  their  wives  took  us  past  olive,  nut  and  fruit 
orchards  and  rice  fields,  to  Chico  where  we  started  on  our 
journey  through  the  northern  gateway  to  California  via 
Southern  Pacific. 

We  saw  the  outline  of  Mt.  Lassen,  the  only  active  volcano 
in  Continental  United  States,  and  proceeding  up  the  Sacra- 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 


mento  River  Canyon 
spent  a  day  enjoying 
views  of  snow-clad 
Mount  Shasta,  one  of 
the  most  majestic  peaks 
of  the  continent,  14,438 
feet  high,  which  looked 
cool  and  refreshing  to 
travellers  from  Southern 
California  after  passing 
up  the  San  Joaquin  and 
Sacramento  valleys. 
Like  the  Feather  River, 
the  Sacramento  and 
other  canyons  to  the 
north  seemed  the  more 
beautiful  because  of  the 
green  trees  and  shrub- 
bery and  the  clear  moun- 
tain streams  in  contrast 
to  the  dry  and  desert 
places  where  water  is 
the  most  precious  pos- 
session and  must  be 
used  sparingly  to  pre- 
serve life  and  crops 

Many  entrancing  views  attend  one  as  we  ascend  the  Cas- 
cade Range  to  an  elevation  of  over  4,000  feet,  or  emerge  from 
the  seventeen  tunnels  or  pass  along  Cantara  Loop  or  Horse 
Shoe  curve,  or  view  the  Mossbrae  Falls  foaming  through 
curtains  of  moss  and  delicate  ferns. 

Our  train  stopped  long  enough  at  Shasta  Springs  to  allow 


THE  RAMBLER  AT  NATURAL 
BRIDGE,  NEAR  CRATER  LAKE, 
ORE. 


28  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

passengers  to  partake  of  the  mineral  waters  renowned  for 
health-giving  properties.  While  passing  the  mountain  itself 
we  witnessed  a  fierce  forest  fire  which  was  being  fought  by 
the  rangers  who  were  cutting  down  great  trees  to  prevent 
its  spread.  Heat  waves  surged  into  the  car  and  we  realized 
how  important  is  the  work  of  fire  protection  in  the  mountains 
and  the  needs  of  greatest  caution  to  prevent  the  start  or 
spread  of  fire. 

We  changed  cars  at  the  junction  lumber  town  of  Weed, 
directly  under  the  shadow  of  the  great  Mount  Shasta.  Here 
the  huge,  cloud  covered  dome,  with  large  fields  of  snow  ex- 
tending over  all  its  sides,  rose  10,000  feet  above  us.  Soon 
after  leaving  Weed  this  journey  to  California  ended  as  we 
crossed  the  Oregon  line,  but  the  memories  will  last  for  life. 
Of  our  journey  through  the  States  of  the  Northwest  you  will 
hear  in  the  next  letter  of 

THE  RAMBLER. 
Portland,  Oregon,  August  4,  1921. 


DEAR  DISPATCH: 

Our  first  stop  over  in  Oregon  was  at  Klamath  Falls,  a  vil- 
lage of  about  6,000  people,  where  we  spent  the  night  at  the 
White  Pelican  Inn,  an  excellent  hotel.  Next  morning  we 
started  early  for  a  thirty-five-mile  ride  on  Klamath  Lake  by 
motor  launch.  We  particularly  enjoyed  this  trip  as,  for  about 
the  first  time  since  leaving  home,  our  overcoats  were  needed 
traveling  by  day.  The  shores  of  the  Lake  are  very  wild, 
covered  with  high  hills  with  some  snow  peaks;  a  few  logging 
camps  and  a  small  lumber  town  or  two  constitute  the  extent 
of  the  inhabitants  except  the  birds  which  offered  continuous 
interest.  Great  white  pelicans  were  very  numerous.  Many 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  29 

cranes,  wild  ducks,  gulls,  black  herons  and  bald  eagles  were 
plentiful.  As  we  approached  Harriman  Lodge  (built  and 
until  recently  owned  by  the  Orange  County  family  of  that 
name)  and  Rocky  Point,  a  sportsmen's  resort,  we  passed 
wonderful  fishing  grounds  and  in  Crystal  Creek  we  could 
see  the  large  trout  in  the  clear  water.  The  largest  fish  for 
this  season  weighed  23  pounds  and  measured  33  inches. 
The  record  is  posted  on  a  tree  giving  the  name  of  the  Oakland, 
Cal.,  doctor  who  caught  the  trout.  I  met  a  gentleman  from 
Michigan  who  saw  the  fish  the  day  it  was  taken  and  vouched 
for  the  correctness  of  the  figures  given.  A  three-hour  motor 
ride  through  Wood  River  Valley  and  Fort  Klamath  with  fer- 
tile irrigated  farm  lands  and  great  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep 
on  large  ranches  through  miles  of  forests  of  fir  and  magnifi- 
cent pines,  very  tall  and  straight,  brought  us  to  the  Crater 
Lake  National  Park  on  the  summit  of  the  Cascade  Range. 
For  eight  miles  more  we  rapidly  climbed  the  slopes  of  the 
ancient  volcanic  cone  along  the  Anna  Creek  Canyon  until 
we  reached  the  Lodge  from  which  we  had  our  first  view  of 
Crater  Lake,  the  sea  of  silence.  It  is  a  gigantic  cauldron  six 
miles  across,  and  4,000  feet  deep,  the  rim  extending  for  over 
20  miles  in  a  nearly  perfect  oval  at  least  1,000  feet  above 
the  water  which  is  of  the  deepest  and  most  marvelous  blue. 
We  went  down  the  trail  to  Eagle  Cove  at  the  edge  of  the 
Lake  and  took  some  of  the  hikes  around  the  rim  to  vantage 
points  for  views  of  the  mystic  Lake,  of  Wizard  Island  in  its 
midst  with  its  own  crater-topped  cinder  cone  and  of  Phantom 
Ship,  another  island  so  called  because  of  pinnacled  rock  for- 
mation. The  glorious  colors  of  the  sunset,  the  clouds  and  re- 
flections in  the  water  were  only  rivalled  by  the  beauty  of  the 
sunrise.  We  reluctantly  turned  our  backs  upon  this  marvel 
of  nature,  motored  to  Medford,  again  passing  great  forest 


30  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

preserves,  stopping  to  see  the  Garden  of  the  Gods  and  the 
Natural  Bridge  of  Crater  Lake  Park,  also  passing  fine 
fruit  orchards  as  we  reached  the  lower  valleys.  We  saw  a 
number  of  deer  and  a  six-week-old  pet  fawn  at  Prospect  where 
we  stopped  for  luncheon. 

A  night's  journey  brought  us  to  Portland,  Oregon's  chief 
city.  New  York  friends  were  awaiting  us  at  the  Hotel 
Benson  and  we  had  two  delightful  days  together  before  part- 
ing to  return  by  different  routes.  A  fine  million  and  a  quarter 
dollar  driveway  along  the  Columbia  River,  passing  many 
beautiful  falls  and  with  extended  views,  is  a  chief  attraction. 
However  the  homes,  the  parks,  and  the  flowers  of  the  "Rose" 
city  and  the  three  magnificent  snow  crowned  sentinels, 
Mounts  Hood,  St.  Helens,  and  Adams,  all  make  a  lasting 
impression. 

After  another  night's  train  ride  to  Tacoma,  Wash.,  we 
again  had  a  long  motor  trip  through  city,  suburbs,  and  great 
.  forests  to  the  Mr.  Rainier  National  Park.  The  Government 
has  wisely  expended  a  large  amount  to  build  the  wonderful 
auto  highway  to  the  Snow  Mountain  worshipped  by  the 
Indians,  the  great  Monarch  of  the  Coast  and  one  of  the  high- 
est peaks  in  the  United  States  14,408  feet  in  altitude.  We 
reached  Paradise  Inn  at  Paradise  Valley  more  than  a  mile  high 
to  find  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  a  most  inspiring  sight.  Mt. 
Rainier  towered  above  us  more  than  two  miles  higher  with 
twenty-eight  great  glacial  streams  sweeping  from  the  sum- 
mit, forty -five  square  miles  of  moving  ice,  and  all  around  us 
the  serrated  peaks  of  the  Tatoosh  Range.  We  clambered 
over  snow  banks  and  up  more  or  less  easy  trails  to  Alta 
Vista  from  which  we  had  a  nearer  view  of  mountains  and 
glaciers  besides  making  the  acquaintance  of  a  great  variety 
of  beautiful  flowers  which  carpet  the  fields  almost  in  the 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  31 

snow  itself.  It  was  so  cold  at  night  we  secured  additional 
blankets  which  were  almost  a  burden,  but  our  little  tent  in 
Paradise  Alley  was  a  good  shelter  and  after  refreshing  sleep 
we  were  ready  for  new  experience.  We  dressed  in  the 
garments  secured  the  night  before,  an  exact  equality  pre- 
vailing between  the  sexes  as  to  hiking  costume.  A  flan- 
nel shirt,  khaki  trousers,  large  woolen  socks,  strong  boots 
with  calks,  a  cap  and  dark  glasses  constituted  the  outfit 
except  far  an  alpen  stock  with  pointed  end  and  a  coating  of 
cold  cream  and  face  paint  for  those  who  feared  burning. 
Thus  accoutred  we  faced  the  camera  and  started  with  our 
Swiss  guide  to  explore  the  Nisqually  glacier.  The  trail  led 
up  hill  and  down,  over  snow  fields,  through  mud  and  running 
streams  until  we  reached  the  moraine  at  one  side  of  the  gla- 
cier. Here  the  going  was  pretty  rough  over  great  rocks  and 
along  a  narrow  ridge.  At  this  point  we  left  one  tired  hiker  to 
await  our  return.  We  crossed  the  moraine  and  climbed  up 
on  the  surface  of  the  glacier  itself.  The  guide  produced 
a  rope  and  each  member  of  the  party  took  hold  of  it.  The 
guide  leading  admonished  everyone  to  walk  directly  behind 
the  person  just  in  front  in  single  file  and  in  the  track  of  the 
guide  and  often  in  the  very  steps  he  had  cut  in  the  ice  with  the 
pick  he  carried.  As  we  mounted  higher  with  deep  crevasses 
on  either  side  of  our  narrow  path  more  of  the  party  left  us 
so  not  over  a  dozen  reached  the  top.  On  the  return  in  some 
places  the  guide  took  us  one  at  a  time  across  crevasses  so 
wide  we  had  to  jump  over  them.  Beautiful  colors  in  the 
ice  were  often  seen  in  these  deep  cracks  very  different  in 
appearance  from  the  lower  part  of  the  glacier  which  the  dirt 
and  dust  made  resemble  rocks  or  the  ground  itself.  The 
guide  pointed  out  favorable  spots  for  coasting  which  old  and 
young  alike  enjoyed.  We  used  no  sleighs,  but  the  seats  of  our 


32  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

trousers  had  been  treated  with  a  paraffine  coating  so  we 
rode  down  hill  sitting  on  our  so-called  "tin"  pants,  and 
great  fun  it  was.  Mt.  Rainier  is  one  of  the  most  impressive 
and  enjoyable  resorts  I  have  ever  visited.  It  reminds  me 
more  of  the  Monte  Rosa  glaciers  at  Zermatt  than  any  part  of 
Switzerland  I  have  seen  and  our  American  scenery  does  not 
suffer  by  the  comparison.  From  Rainier  we  motored  directly 
to  Seattle  over  100  miles,  the  first  part  a  lovely  wooded  drive, 
but  dusty,  the  last  forty-two  miles  over  a  nearly  perfect  high- 
way through  pretty  towns,  past  fruit  orchards  and  fields  of 
beautiful  hop  vines.  As  we  looked  back  near  the  close  of  day 
we  could  see  the  great  mountain,  its  snow  glistening  with  rose 
sunset  shades  and  as  the  shadows  lengthened  it  seemed  to  be 
floating  like  a  white  cloud  in  the  distance. 

Our  stay  in  Seattle  enabled  us  to  see  some  of  the  natural 
beauty  of  location  of  this  splendid  enterprising  city  situated 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  our  country.  My  favorite  view  is 
from  the  grounds  of  the  Washington  State  University,  where 
the  Yukon-Pacific  Exposition  was  located,  now  an  extended 
campus  on  a  high  elevation  surrounded  by  handsome  and 
modern  college  buildings  with  views  of  Puget  Sound,  the 
Olympic  Mountains  and  our  favorite  Mt.  Rainier.  Spread- 
ing out  at  our  feet  is  the  city  itself  with  three  large  lakes  con- 
nected with  a  most  up-to-date  system  of  locks  to  lift  ocean 
liners  from  salt  to  fresh  water  by  pressing  an  electric  button, 
second  only  in  size  to  those  of  the  Panama  Canal.  We  en- 
joyed the  handsome  boulevards,  parks,  and  homes  of  this 
city  of  over  300,000  population.  We  saw  many  wooden  ships, 
built  at  great  expense  during  the  war  now  destined  for  the 
junk  heap.  Like  Portland  and  Vancouver,  the  other  western 
port  cities  we  visited,  business  conditions  in  Seattle  at  present 
are  very  quiet.  There  is  almost  no  demand  for  lumber,  one 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 


33 


of  the  principal  industries;  shipping  is  at  a  standstill,  and  the 
last  year's  canned  salmon  supply  is  still  largely  unsold  and  on 
hand  due  to  demoralized  foreign  trade  conditions.  HOW- 


SLIDING   MT.   RANIER   DRESSED   IN   "TIN"  PANTS. 

ever,  these  people  do  not  seem  discouraged,  but  are  pushing 
their  other  business  interests  ahead  with  the  spirit  which 
knows  no  defeat. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  attend  service  at  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Seattle.  The  ground  floor  of  the  large  and 
handsome  auditorium  was  comfortably  filled  and  there  were 
hundreds  in  the  galleries  notwithstanding  it  was  the  first 
Sunday  in  August  and  the  pastor  was  away  on  his  vacation. 
An  enlightening  sermon  was  delivered  by  Dr.  Ernest  F.  Hall, 


34  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

Pacific  Coast  Secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  on  "The  Far-Flung  Mission  Battle  Line."  In  a 
businesslike  yet  forceful  way  the  modern  program  of  mis- 
sionary effort  was  presented.  Through  the  medical  branch 
to  alleviate  the  human  suffering  and  clean  up  the  plague  spots 
of  the  world;  through  the  educational  department  to  dispel 
the  ignorance  and  superstitions  of  the  people  and  teach 
them  how  to  make  the  most  out  of  life,  and  through  the 
preaching  of  the  Word  to  furnish  a  new  motive  for  an  abund- 
ant life  of  self-sacrifice  exemplified  in  the  life  of  Christ  and  re- 
flected in  the  precept  and  example  of  his  faithful  missionaries. 
That  the  Seattle  church  is  alive  to  the  importance  of  mission- 
ary service  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  it  supports  seven 
missionaries  in  the  foreign  mission  fields,  two  in  home  mission 
work  and  no  less  than  nineteen  of  its  members  have  accepted 
definite  assignments  in  assisting  city  missions. 

THE  RAMBLER. 
Banff  Springs  Hotel, 
August  14,  1921. 


DEAR  DISPATCH  : 

"Of  what  country  are  you  a  citizen"  and  "what  relations 
are  your  traveling  companions"  were  the  questions  asked  as 
we  boarded  the  Princess  Victoria  steamship  for  a  day  on  Puget 
Sound.  The  ship  was  large  and  steady,  the  weather  ideal 
and  the  sea  smooth,  except  when  we  crossed  the  channel 
which  enters  from  the  ocean,  but  even  then  it  was  not  too 
rough  for  the  members  of  our  party.  For  most  of  the  day 
we  were  passing  along  the  State  of  Washington.  I  never 
realized  before  how  far  it  extends  north  of  Seattle,  west,  as 
well  as  east  of  Puget  Sound.  The  Olympic  Mountains  to 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  35 

the  west  rose  high,  majestic,  with  much  snow  and  most  re- 
markable clouds  particularly  as  we  approached  the  Juan  de 
Fuca  Strait  through  which  came  the  fogs  of  the  Pacific,  cling- 
ing to  the  mountains  in  fantastic  and  fascinating  shapes. 
The  hour  at  our  disposal  at  Victoria,  located  on  Vancouver 
Island,  was  a  busy  one,  visiting  the  attractive  Empress  Hotel 
conducted  by  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  and  driving 
through  the  business  and  residential  sections  and  parks  of 
this  little  city,  quite  quaint  and  foreign  in  many  ways,  pass- 
ing the  Government  House  with  spacious  grounds,  the  official 
home  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  the  impressive  Par- 
liament buildings  besides  getting  a  great  deal  of  wind  and 
splendid  views  along  the  Marine  Drive.  At  first  we  feared 
collisions  because  all  traffic  in  British  Columbia  passes  to 
the  left,  however,  our  driver  informed  us  on  December  first 
this  was  to  be  changed  so  as  to  conform  to  the  custom  of  the 
rest  of  Canada  and  the  United  States  in  passing  to  the  right. 

It  seems  rather  strange  that  Victoria  should  be  the  capital 
of  British  Columbia,  as  it  is  situated  on  an  island  so  far 
from  the  geographical  center,  but  it  is  the  oldest  city  and 
English  traditions  do  not  yield  easily  and  Victoria  is  typically 
English  in  sentiment.  The  flowers  and  vegetation  of  Vic- 
toria were  particularly  beautiful  and  luxuriant  due  to  the 
abundance  of  moisture.  An  afternoon's  ride  on  the  crowded 
boat,  through  the  islands,  with  views  of  Mt.  Baker  in  Wash- 
ington, the  last  of  the  former  volcanic  peaks,  now  isolated, 
great  snow  mountains  along  the  Cascade  range  in  the  United 
States,  brought  us  into  the  splendid,  nearly  land-locked, 
harbor  of  Vancouver,  Canada's  largest  commercial  center  of 
the  West. 

This  city  is  the  terminal  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway 
and  also  of  its  trans-Pacific,  Alaska  and  local  steamship 


36  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

routes.  Here  is  also  another  of  the  fine  railway  hotels 
which  are  found  at  the  larger  places  across  the  continent. 
Vancouver  has  extensive  lumber  and  other  interests  with 
fine  shops  and  facilities  for  conducting  business.  It  might 
be  of  interest  for  you  to  know  that  American  money  was 
so  highly  regarded  that  the  shops  allowed  $11.00  credit  for 
our  $10.00  bills  and  I  received  $223.00  in  Canadian  currency 
for  my  New  York  check  of  $200,  a  premium  of  11^  per  cent. 

We  left  Vancouver  on  the  Trans-Canada  Limited  composed 
entirely  of  sleeping  and  dining  coaches.  All  of  the  rolling 
stock  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway,  by  the  way,  is  of  its 
own  manufacture  so  that  we  found  no  Pullman  cars  on  its 
lines.  To  this  great  railway  is  largely  due  the  development 
of  Canada.  Begun  about  fifty  years  ago  it  was  not  until 
1885  that  it  was  finished  so  as  to  link  the  Atlantic  and  Pa- 
cific Oceans.  Its  service  we  found  excellent  for  comfort  and 
reliability,  courteous  officials  on  the  trains  and  boats  and  also 
hotel  staffs,  waiters,  waitresses,  and  subordinates,  all  of 
whom  knew  their  business  and  attended  to  it. 

We  were  about  to  realize  our  long-anticipated  visit  to 
the  Canadian  Rockies  and  our  train  soon  entered  the  Fraser, 
Thompson,  and  Albert  River  Canyons  through  which  we 
crossed  the  Cascade  Mountains.  The  scenery  is  most  im- 
pressive, the  railroad  passing  along  the  rivers,  frequently  tun- 
neling the  mountains  which  tower  high  above  the  angry  and 
roaring  streams  presenting  awe-inspiring  surroundings  per- 
haps even  wilder  in  aspect  than  the  neighboring  American 
mountains.  We  left  the  train  at  6:30  A.  M.  and  for  the  first 
time  were  transported  to  and  from  the  hotel  in  horse-drawn 
vehicles,  the  motor  being  out  of  order.  We  had  time  to  visit 
the  "Meeting  of  the  Waters"  and  devour  and  drink  in  some 
of  the  beautiful  scenery  of  the  Selkirk  Mountains  before 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  37 

breakfast  was  announced  at  the  C.  P.  R.  hotel  at  Glacier. 
The  frosty  air  and  walk  had  given  us  a  keen  appetite  and  we 
did  justice  to  our  meal.  We  spent  the  morning  in  a  visit 
to  the  Illecillewaet  or  Great  Glacier  which  is  only  about  one 
and  a  half  miles  from  the  hotel  reached  by  a  delightful  walk 
through  the  woods  and  along  the  milky  opaque  glacial  stream 
gradually  rising  until  we  were  in  range  of  this  huge  ice  stream 
of  ten  square  miles.  The  views  of  the  mountains  were 
superb,  some  of  the  highest  peaks  we  saw  in  Canada  were  in 
this  locality  and  many  had  large  snow  and  ice  fields  upon 
them. 

A  four-hour  train  ride  in  open  observation  cars  carried 
us  past  a  succession  of  magnificent  views  and  brought  us  to 
Field  from  which  we  motored  through  virgin  forests  to  Em- 
erald Lake,  seven  miles  away.  The  Chalet  is  under  C.  P.  R. 
management  and  is  located  on  a  peninsula  nearly  surrounded 
by  this  beautiful  lake  whose  water  is  of  a  remarkable  green 
color.  We  had  comfort  but  no  luxury  in  our  day's  sojourn  at 
the  Chalet.  We  walked  around  the  lake  through  the  woods, 
about  four  miles,  rowed  and  enjoyed  every  moment  gazing 
upon  the  mountains,  the  glaciers  and  the  lake. 

From  Field  we  passed  through  the  spiral  tunnels,  the  five- 
mile  double-tracked  tunnel  which  penetrates  Mount  Mac- 
donald  and  the  Great  Divide  where  the  waters  of  one  river 
separate,  part  flowing  west  to  the  Pacific,  the  rest  easterly 
on  the  way  to  the  Atlantic,  reaching  Lake  Louise  in  the 
Rockies  after  a  three  and  a  half  mile  ride  on  a  narrow-gauge 
road  whose  cars  are  run  by  gasoline  motor  engines.  We 
all  considered  this  one  of  the  most  charming  places  we  visited. 
The  Chateau,  while  large  and  elegant,  is  cozy  and  home- 
like, the  rolling  perfectly  kept  lawns  and  the  profusion  of 
flowers  of  many  kinds,  wild  and  cultivated,  the  beautiful  lake 


38  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

of  lovely  blue  directly  in  front  of  the  hotel,  and  the  great 
mountains  on  either  side  and  the  pure  white  Victoria  glacier 
covering  a  large  portion  of  the  upper  reaches  of  the  mountain 
opposite  make  a  picture  not  to  be  forgotten.  Our  views  on 
our  hikes  along  the  Lake,  to  the  lakes  in  the  clouds  as  Mirror 
and  St.  Agnes  Lakes  are  called,  located  some  1,000  and  1,200 
feet  above,  all  increased  our  admiration  for  this  gem  of  the 
Canadian  Rockies.  One  of  our  party  discovered  a  large 
porcupine  on  the  way  to  the  tea  house  at  St.  Agnes  Lake. 
The  tea  and  cakes  were  palatable  and  delicious  and  we  also 
thoroughly  enjoyed  the  cordial  reception  and  hospitality  of 
the  interesting  lady  who  spends  her  summers  in  this  lonely 
but  fascinating  place  to  give  entertainment  to  such  of  the 
public  as  walk  or  ride  by  horseback  to  this  sightly  spot. 

We  also  had  a  most  interesting  motor  ride  to  Moraine 
Lake  and  the  Valley  of  Ten  Peaks,  each  of  which  has  snow 
upon  it.  On  this  drive  we  passed  Temple,  the  largest  moun- 
tain in  the  Rockies,  and  saw  some  marmots  sunning  them- 
selves upon  the  rocks.  At  Moraine  Lake  we  saw  the  hang- 
ing glacier.  For  the  first  time  since  we  left  Colorado  Springs, 
July  5th,  we  witnessed  a  heavy  thunder  shower  while  at 
Lake  Louise.  This  seems  the  more  remarkable  as  many 
letters  from  home  report  an  abundance  of  rain  and  severe  elec- 
trical storms.  Two  nights  and  days  were  too  little  to  devote 
to  Lake  Louise  but  we  started  out  for. Banff  where  we  stayed 
at  the  very  large  and  pretentious  Banff  Springs  Hotel  of  the 
C.  P.  R.  * 

Added  to  the  complete  appointments  of  a  modern  hotel 
and  wonderful  mountain  and  river  scenery  they  have  a  per- 
fectly splendid  warm  as  well  as  a  cool  water  swimming  pool. 
Hikes  to  the  little  village  with  its  zoo  and  museum,  to  the 
beautiful  Bow  River  Falls,  to  the  top  of  Tunnel  Mountain 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  39 

by  what  is  called  the  "corkscrew"  gave  us  good  exercise  as 
well  as  fine  scenery  and  with  a  bath  thrown  in  the  time 
passed  quickly  and  we  were  bidding  adieu  to  Banff,  the 
Three  Sisters  and  other  mountains  farther  along  and  on  our 
long  journey  through  Alberta,  Saskatchewan,  and  Manitoba, 
great  distances  of  level  country  some  with  wonderful  wheat 
crops  and  herds  of  cattle  until  we  reached  Winnipeg,  the 
central  city  of  Canada,  with  more  than  200,000  people,  where 
we  broke  our  journey  and  spent  a  night  and  day. 

A  drive  impressed  us  with  the  beauty  of  the  homes  and 
parks,  visits  to  Birks,  the  Tiffany's  of  Canada,  the  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  year  old  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  T. 
Eaton's  great  department  and  other  stores  proved  the  at- 
tractiveness of  the  shops  and  relieved  us  of  surplus  Canadian 
money  and  leaving  the  Royal  Alexandra  C.  P.  R.  hotel  we 
started  for  our  last  night's  ride  on  the  train  reaching  Fort 
William  in  the  morning  where  we  boarded  theC.  P.R.  steamer 
Assiniboia,  named  after  an  early  explorer,  which  proved  a 
steady,  comfortable,  and  a  pleasant  home  for  two  nights  and 
a  day,  crossing  Lakes  Superior  and  Huron  through  the  Sault 
Ste.  Marie  Locks,  the  Soo  River  and  Georgian  Bay  landing 
us  at  Port  McNicol  from  which  the  train  brought  us  to 
Toronto.  Friends  pointed  out  to  us  on  a  drive  the  impres- 
sive Parliament  and  other  public  buildings,  the  handsome 
campus  and  foundations  connected  with  the  great  Uni- 
versity of  Toronto  besides  palatial  and  beautiful  residences. 
We  soon  again  embarked  upon  shipboard  the  Toronto  which 
carried  us  swiftly,  safely,  and  without  injury  to  our  reputa- 
tions as  good  sailors  across  Lake  Ontario  and  landed  us  at  Alex- 
andria Bay,  once  more  in  the  good  old  U.  S.  A.,  New  York 
State,  where  we  soon  declared  our  citizenship  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  customs  officers  who  made  a  cursory  examination 


40  '  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

of  our  baggage  and  released  us.  A  ride  in  one  of  the  elegant 
motor  launches  through  the  Thousand  Islands  on  a  beauti- 
ful summer  day  is  a  most  enjoyable  one,  passing  a  succession 
of  lovely  homes,  large  and  small  on  separate  islands  with 
grounds  perfectly  kept  and  glorious  with  flowers  and  trees 
through  waterways,  rifts,  channels,  and  other  interesting 
spots.  We  felt  that  this  Venice  of  America  deserves  the 
greatest  popularity  as  a  resort. 

It  was  pleasant  to  observe  that  Americans  frequently 
built  elegant  homes  on  islands  located  on  the  Canadian  side 
as  evidenced  by  the  two  flags  flying  together,  the  British 
above  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  The  late  George  C.  Boldt  did 
much  to  develop  this  place  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
owned  five  islands  with  magnificent  residences.  The  old 
Thousand  Island  and  Grossman  Houses  though  splendidly 
located  have  not  been  kept  up  and,  since  the  burning  of  the 
Hotel  Frontenac,  the  great  need  of  the  Thousand  Islands  is 
for  modern  up-to-date  hotel  facilities  for  which  I  understand 
plans  are  under  way  which  may  also  include  the  taking  over 
of  some  of  the  Boldt  properties  in  this  connection.  Private 
motor  boats  of  most  luxurious  and  speedy  type,  some  attain- 
ing fifty  miles  an  hour,  stately  private  yachts,  a  fleet  of  ex- 
cursion and  fishing  craft,  at  least  two  hydroplanes  and 
international  polo  matches  all  added  to  the  gaiety  and  social 
life  of  the  place. 

From  Alexandria  Bay  we  motored  to  Watertown,  an  enter- 
prising and  attractive  city  whose  most  conspicuous  citizens 
have  been  former  Governor  Roswell  P.  Flower  and  former 
Secretary  of  State,  Robert  Lansing.  A  railroad  trip  of  five 
hours  on  the  New  York  Central  brought  us  to  Albany  where 
we  visited  the  Capitol,  Governor's  Mansion,  State  Educa- 
tional Building,  schools,  parks,  residences,  etc.,  and  boarded 


LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER  41 

the  night  boat  finding  commodious  staterooms  with  brass 
beds  and  bath.  Our  water  trips  proved  restful  and  much 
more  comfortable  than  sleeping  car  riding.  We  were  fortu- 
nate also  to  have  been  traveling  moonlight  nights  on  this 
part  of  our  trip  so  that  the  sunsets,  the  moonlight  and  the 
searchlights  added  to  the  beauty  of  our  journey  by  water. 

By  eight  o'clock  next  morning  the  great  steamer  had 
docked.  We  were  having  our  breakfast  on  board,  and  soon 
afterward  were  being  rushed  home  through  the  city  streets 
in  a  taxi.  During  our  long  journey  of  over  12,000  miles  by 
land  and  water  and  covering  a  period  of  nine  weeks  we  were 
fortunate  in  having  no  delay  or  interruption  in  our  plans  by 
accident  or  illness  and  all  returned  much  better  Americans 
with  delightful  memories  of  people  we  had  met  and  of  the 
places  we  had  visited. 

The  Rambler  desires  to  express  his  appreciation 

First:  Of  the  consideration  of  his  travelling  companions, 
their  readiness  for  all  new  experiences  and  manifest  enjoy- 
ment of  the  same  and  particularly  their  willingness  without 
complaint  to  submit  to  the  unavoidable  inconveniences  and 
discomfort  attendant  upon  even  the  best  planned  travel 
trips. 

Second:  For  the  kindness  of  friends  in  every  part  of  the 
country  who  seemed  to  vie  with  one  another  to  make  pleas- 
ant our  sojourn  and  especially  to  make  us  acquainted  with 
the  particular  attractions  of  their  respective  communities. 

Third:  To  Mr.  George  W.  Levison  of  the  Continental 
Travel  Company,  138  West  32nd  Street,  New  York  City, 
formerly  with  Thomas  Cook  &  Son,  who  prepared  our  itin- 
erary purchased  our  tickets,  made  all  arrangements  for  hotel 
and  railroad  reservations  so  that  upon  arrival  at  everyplace  we 
were  expected  and  accommodations  provided  and  paid  for. 


42  LETTERS  OF  THE  RAMBLER 

In  this  way  we  found  it  unnecessary  to  carry  any  substantial 
amount  of  cash.  In  fact  it  is  my  experience  that  a  reliable 
tourist  agent  can  save  you  money  besides  getting  a  maximum 
of  comfort  at  a  minimum  cost,  and 

Lastly:  To  the  Warwick  Valley  Dispatch  for  furnishing 
the  medium  to  present  my  letters  to  my  friends  and  the  public 
who  have  proved  very  patient  if  they  have  continued  to  the 
end.  I  can  only  hope  every  one  of  them  will  embrace  the 
first  opportunity  to  visit  the  places  I  have  tried  to  describe 
and  even  at  home  that  they  will  find  "Tongues  in  trees, 
books  in  the  running  brooks,  sermons  in  stone,  and  good  in 
everything." 

RAMBLER. 
New  York  City,  August  25,  1921. 


